Prompt
by Silent.Observation
Summary: A collection of oneshots based on the SamXGrace pairing.
1. Well Kept

A/N: Just read Shiver, and I absolutely _had_ to write something about it. This is what I came up with. I call it the create-your-own-prompt prompt. You just flip randomly through a dictionary, and Voilà! Your very own prompt. First prompt: Well Kept.

Disclaimer: Don't own characters, only the plot.

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Well Kept

It was a mystery to her. That sleek mop of black silk that resided on the top of his head. It was soft to the touch, amazingly shiny, and it smelled at all times of something rich and slightly musky; an odor that pleased her, but piqued her curiosity at the same time. It was certainly not a scent that came from a bottle of shampoo. How did he manage to maintain such a woodsy smell? He bathed, didn't he? And he certainly wasn't in the woods enough to retain any sort of lingering perfume.

What irked her the most was how orderly it all was. Wind, rain, humidity, nothing affected it's state of orderliness. Not even bed head could disorganize those floppy locks. It drove her crazy, how he could wake up in the morning, perfectly coifed, and she had to tame the beastly haystack protruding from the side of her head. He would just sit there, waiting and watching as she laboriously wrenched a comb through the disheveled heap on her head, a smile playing at the corner of his lips.


	2. Engulf

**Engulf**

The hallway was practically empty of students. A few lingered here or there, gathering belongings, chatting with neighbors, but most of the schools populace was already long gone, eager to start their weekend. A quiet hush had fallen over the building.

Grace rushed as quietly as she could to her locker, glancing anxiously at her watch. Her last class had been math, one of her better subjects. She had been preparing to make a speedy exit once the bell rang, intent on reaching Sam and the warm confines of her car, when one of her classmates had asked for some help with the homework. She would have refused, but she knew that he was failing the course.

So there she was, trapped, as the rest of her classmates streamed into the crowded hallway, eager to escape from the tedium of math class.

She managed to extricate herself fairly quickly, though thinking about in now, Grace realized she hadn't really been of that much help. She couldn't find it in herself to feel too guilty, though.

Finally she reached her locker. She wrenched it open, and randomly selected a few things to throw in her bag as her mind wandered elsewhere, to the welcoming warmth of the front seat of her Bronco, and the person inside it. Grabbing her toque from her bag, she jammed it on her head and let the locker clang closed. She checked her watch again as she made her way to the front doors of the school.

Grace entered the main lobby, and instantly noticed the slight change in temperature. It was just a few degrees colder here than in the rest of the school. Someone exited through the front doors, and a draft of frigid air swirled around her, sharply reminding her or what waited outside.

Just thinking of the cold sent chills down her spine. Maybe it was from spending so much time with Sam, but she had developed an aversion to such chilly weather.

She hesitated, tugging at the sleeves of her coat, trying to cover her fingers, and felt the cool metal of her watch, reminding her. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself, and stepped out into the glacial air.

The cold wind slapped at her skin, draining the warmth from her body. It bit at her nose and drew tears to her eyes. Her frozen breath spiraled around her in a disorganized dance. Grace shuddered and pulled the neck of her jacket closed, trying to hold in as much warmth as possible. Shivering, she made her way carefully down the icy front steps.

It was sort of ironic how she had come to dread the cold. Before Sam, well, before she knew him as a human, she corrected herself, she longed for the winter, anxious to see her wolf. With the cold came the promise of reunion, as he was absent during the summer months. She waited impatiently for the return of winter each year, because she would get to see him again.

Not anymore.

Now, she was hyperaware of the cold. Each shift in temperature, every drop, every dip, it registered in her awareness. The winter was no longer her friend, brining something to look forward to. It was something to fear. The cold was to be avoided at all costs, because it would take from her the most important thing in her life: Sam. Everything she did was somehow related to him; she could no longer imagine living without him. Just being away from him during the school day was enough to drive her crazy.

Turning her attention back to the frosted world around her, she ran her gaze over the parking lot, searching for the car that held her life. It was there, idling in the spot closest to the sidewalk in the empty lot. As she moved towards it, the car pulled out of its space and rolled up to the curb, coming to a slow stop.

Grace felt a slight tension ease in her chest. She was relieved to see that he was still here, waiting for her. She knew it was absurd to think that he would have left; where else would he have gone? But each time they were separated, she feared he would disappear. Taken by the cold, or just by a desire to leave her, the idea of his absence chilled her more than the weather.

Sometimes, a small part of her worried that it was wrong to keep him here. Trapped in his human self, there must be things he missed from his wolf form. Did he begrudge her for it? Did he ever long to be in the forest, amongst his family? While he was here with her, he was constantly in fear of the cold, doing everything he could to avoid it. She felt guilty, making his life difficult for her own selfish reasons.

Shaking her head, Grace banished the traitorous thoughts from her mind. She worried too much. It was almost every day that Sam reassured her of his willingness to stay by her side. He was here, waiting in the car, just a few steps away, and he wasn't leaving any time soon.

Smiling slightly, she pulled her gloved hand from her pocket and tugged the car door open. Hot air blasted at her from inside the car. It circled around her, banishing the cold wind. The heat stung her frosted nose, but it was a good sting. A comforting warmth engulfed her, wrapping her in a blanket of lethargic summer heat, leaving behind the sharpness of winter.

Her smile widened. The boy in the driver's seat smiled back at her, and the warmth seeped into her chest, working it's way to her heart, lodging itself deeply inside her. Grace knew without a doubt that it would stay there, locked away, waiting for the moments that it was needed. No matter how much the temperature dropped, or how many doubts sprung up and danced around the edges of her thoughts, she knew she would be able to reach that place in her heart. She would take out that little bit of warmth, hold it close to her, and know that everything would be okay.

Climbing into the car, Grace closed the door behind her, locking out the cold.

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Alright, here it is, the next chapter. If there is anybody out there who was actually waiting for this, then I'm sorry it took so long in coming. You don't really realize how busy you are until you try and do something. This is the next installment of my self made prompt story. Todays prompt was: engulf.

Anyway, feedback is always welcome, so please feel free to give me your opinions or tell me if there are any spelling/grammatical errors. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long as this one, but I can't make any promises. Thanks for reading!


	3. Growl

Chapter three for my self made prompt, Prompt. Word: Growl. Enjoy!

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Growl

As soon as they entered the bookstore, Grace could tell something was off. The normally peaceful setting was disturbed by sounds that were very out of place. Loud whispers and high pitched giggling filled up the small space, and grated on Graces nerves. Looking around Sam, who was standing in front of her, she saw them. Three girls her age stood between the shelves, laughing obnoxiously at some book they had found. Instantly, Grace disliked them.

When they heard the door close, the girls looked up. Two looked away, unconcerned, but one locked her gaze on Sam. Grace's eyes narrowed. The girl was tall and slim. Her shiny brown hair went to her mid back, and her bangs cut across her face. She was dressed to impress, though who she was impressing here, Grace didn't know. Her low cut jeans and tight fitting, dangerously low top showed off her figure. Grace wondered how she didn't freeze to death. What irked her he most though, was the way she was looking at Sam. Her pretty, almond shaped eyes were locked on his lanky frame, though Grace noted, somewhat thankfully, that he was not aware of this. There was something calculating in her gaze, and her mouth was set in a determined smirk. Everything about this girl set off little alarm bells in Grace's head.

Sam started to make his way to the back of the store, where the stairway to their little hideaway was located, and Grace trailed after him slowly, keeping an eye on the group of girls. The one who had been staring at Sam, Doe Eyes, as Grace christened her, turned back to her friends. It was obvious that she was the leader. When she spoke, the other girls practically stood at attention, drinking in her every word. Grace rolled her eyes. The more she watched this girl, the more she disliked her. With a flip of her hair, Doe Eyes left her friends and started to walk towards the back of the store. Something tickled the back of Grace's mind, but she pushed it aside, not wanting to jump to conclusions. She was probably just looking for the bathroom so she could fix her makeup.

While Grace had been watching the girl, Sam had gotten a few steps in front of her. They were coming up to a break in the bookshelves. On the other side of the shelf to her right, Grace saw Doe Eyes. She was at the end of her row, watching Sam through a crack in the novels with a glint in her eye. She grabbed a book without looking at it and opened it in her hands. Pretending to read it, she stepped out from behind the bookcase and started walking.

Grace saw all this, and understood what was happening. Doe Eyes and Sam were on a collision course, and not by accident. She felt something well up in the back of her throat as she tried to fry the girl with her glare. Some primal instinct told her that this girl was _not_ to come in any sort of contact with Sam. He was with _her_.

Quickening her pace, Grace reached them just as Doe Eyes ran straight into Sam. She heard the high-pitched 'oomph' sound the girl made as she pretended to be caught unawares. She saw the manicured hand come up to rest lightly on his arm, and she saw that perfect little mouth open and start to speak.

Poor Sam had been taken totally by surprise, and was confused when Grace pushed her way roughly between him and the girl. One second everything had been normal, and the next, he was getting bumped, pushed and shoved all around. A little disoriented, he stumbled back a step and turned to Grace for an explanation.

"Wha-" He was cut off before he finished his sentence by a strange rumbling sound. It sounded almost like growling, except just a little more high pitch... Sam's eyes widened. Spluttering, he stepped closer to Grace and placed his hand on her shoulder. It couldn't be...

"Grace, are you...?"

There it was, he could feel it under his hand. The slight tremors emanating from the center of her chest, bubbling up through her body and forcing their way out of her throat. She seemed completely unaware of the fact.

Shaking Sam's hand off her shoulder, she took a threatening step forward, sticking her face right in front of the startled girl.

"Listen up," She spit out, her voice laced with more venom than Sam had thought her capable of.

"Sam is with _me_. So you-" she growled, poking viciously at the girl's chest, "Can back the hell off."

Sam's eyes widened.

Inching even closed to the now very confused girl, she whispered, "He's _mine_."

She pulled back abruptly, taking a few backwards steps, forcing a speechless Sam further away from Doe Eyes, who muttered something unintelligible and scurried back to the friends she had left hiding in the aisles.

Grace watched her retreating back with a defensive glint in her eye, her body tense, though by now the growling had stopped. When she was sure Doe Eyes was gone for good, she turned to a flabbergasted Sam.

"You-! I-! She-! What, was _that_?" he managed to splutter out.

Grace ducked her head and shielded her face with her hair, a blush staining her cheeks. What had come over her? In hindsight, she could see that nothing would have happened. She trusted Sam enough to know that he wouldn't just run off with some girl. Why had she reacted like that? Now she felt like everybody in the world had just witnessed her little display of...

What, exactly?

Protectiveness? Possessiveness? She blushed harder. Most likely the latter. But, growling? Come on. That was so not her. Hell, the normal her probably would have just stood by and watched the scene play out. But whenever she thought of that girls hands all over Sam, she just wanted to go over and rip her arms off. Even thinking about it was making the hairs on the back of her neck raise, and all her muscles tense. She had to force herself not to drop into a defensive crouch. What the _hell_ was wrong with her? She was acting like a territorial animal, defending what was hers.

While Grace had been taking her time sorting through her thoughts, Sam waited for an answer, and had a few thoughts of his own. That was the strangest thing. Grace had come flying out of nowhere when that girl had walked into him. He felt sorry for the poor girl. Grace sure knew how to be intimidating, which he never would have thought possible. Who would have thought that Grace of all people would be so... So... What? Defensive? No, that wasn't quite right. More like... Territorial.

Sam inhaled sharply. That was it, wasn't it? Grace had been defending her territory. Almost like a...

Wolf.

Grace's head snapped up, flinging her hair away from her face as she stared at Sam, her eyes wide, and he knew she had come to the same conclusion he had.

A huge grin split across his face.

"I told you so."

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AN: Alright, here we go, finally got the next chapter up! Sorry it took me forever, I kind of... coughforgotaboutitcough. Hem hem. Anyway, again, this chapter was for the prompt growl, and in case you didn't get it, refers to the speculations about Grace overcoming the wolf bite when she was trapped in the car. Please message me if you find any mistakes in grammar. Reviews are greatly appreciated!


	4. Paper Cranes

Paper Cranes

Floating.

He was floating somewhere in this dreamlike state. Everything slipped by him like he wasn't even there. His mind was suspended somewhere above his body, detatched. He couldn't feel himself moving through this too bright hospital, past these faceless people. He saw only fragmented images, pictures flashing in his minds eye; Cole's angry face, his own dirty, unlaced shoes, the bland nurse at the front desk, and Grace.

_Grace._

Grace was everywhere and nowhere in his mind, there one second and gone the next in this slow motion race against time.

He barely felt it when Cole let go of his arm and stopped moving, but he kept going, drifting along with an invisible breeze. It blew him to a seat at the window, where he sank slowly down into what his disconnected mind assumed was a sitting position. But even though his body knew it wasn't moving, his head was spinning. The slideshow in his mind played over and over again. Him, Grace, the bookstore, her room, her car… He saw every moment they had ever had, and all the time they didn't get. And now she lay somewhere in this hospital, pale and weak and dying.

He felt something twist in his gut.

Sam blinked and tried to focus on something other than the thought of Grace in that hospital room. Outside the window, the world was bleak and gray. A flock of birds flew across the sky, and he couldn't help but think of the paper cranes hanging in his room.

It occurred to him that he was now a paper crane. Floating, swaying, existing all alone but still surrounded by others just like him. He was a remainder, a reminder of a better time. A time filled with color and laughs and _happy_. Now he was hanging by a thread, clinging desperately to the past because he had no future without it.

"Sam." Isabel's voice tugged at him to return to reality, but he resisted.

"_Sam_." Isabel barked at him. "Go get us some coffee."

Reluctantly, he got up and made his way over to get some coffee. Shuffling back to them, he slowly sank back into reality. Everything became sharper, stinging. Now he could see the faces of everyone he passed, make out the smudges on the shiny white floor, smell the harsh chemicals of the hospital.

As he neared Isabel and Cole, Sam started to pick up on their conversation. They were talking about Grace. Grace! The slideshow started up again, but he pushed it back. He needed to see.

"What's wrong with Grace is the same thing that killed that wolf that you and Grace found," he said to Isabel as he set down the coffee. His voice sounded far away.

"That smell is just too distinctive. It's the same thing."

Slowly their plan came together, and this paper crane left its string behind and sailed into the unknown.

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A.N: The next installment of my self made prompt, Prompt. this chapters words was **Suspended**. Sorry that it took so long, I hope to have the next chapter ready sooner :p Wow I just realized that this is the first story I've done from a Sam POV. Hope it turned out ok. This chapter was based on Linger, hopefully I didn't spoil it for any of you guys! Hope you guys enjoy, please read and review!

I say hope alot. :p


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